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How can you grow a business you can’t even explain?

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That stuck feeling isn't a skills issue.

It's what happens when your brand identity — your values, your voice, your positioning — hasn't evolved with you. And until that foundation is solid, everything else is guesswork.

The Founding Protocol is a 4-week live intensive that rebuilds it from the inside out. So your business can finally keep up with you.

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WAITLIST NOW OPEN
MELBOURNE-BASED BRAND STRATEGY & COPYWRITING STUDIO
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You’re here because you’ve outgrown your brand (and it shows)

We understand the pressures of running a business. When things aren’t running smoothly, it can be hard to accurately identify the issue. You may have noticed some of the below violations:

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CLARITY VIOLATIONS

Your business has evolved, but your messaging hasn’t. You struggle to explain your value without rambling, jargon, or second-guessing yourself.

CONNECTION VIOLATIONS

You’re attracting the wrong people (price-shoppers, DIY-ers) or worse– nobody at all. The clients you actually want are scrolling past.

CONFIDENCE VIOLATIONS

You hesitate to share your website or bio. Your brand doesn’t reflect the depth or quality of your work, so you hold back from bigger opportunities.

CONVERSION VIOLATIONS

You want to scale, raise prices, or launch something new but your current brand can’t carry it. Growth feels stuck until you fix the foundation.

Left unchecked, these violations cost you opportunities, authority, and momentum. You end up stuck in comparison mode, spinning your wheels, or secretly resenting a business that doesn’t feel like you anymore.

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restore clarity, connection, and confidence so your brand finally matches your ambition.

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the most actualised version of your brand.
Built in 4 weeks

You've been DIY-ing your brand since day one. And it worked. Until it didn't.

Now the business has evolved but the identity hasn't, and you can feel the gap in everything: how you talk about your work, who you're attracting, how confident you feel showing up.

The Founding Protocol is a live, small-group intensive that rebuilds your brand foundation from the inside out. Over 4 weeks, you'll get clear on your values, define a brand voice that actually sounds like you, and walk away with messaging you'll use every day — not a PDF that collects dust.

Live workshops. Tactical assignments. Personalised feedback. And a brand toolkit that finally makes decisions, content, and growth feel easier.

“If you think you're clear on your vision now, you don't know how clear you can actually get through The Protocol.

I'm an online course junkie, and this is NOTHING like anything else out there.”

- Margaux, Cohort 1 participant.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROTOCOL

Brand still winging it?
This your official summons

The Identity Dept offers a number of pathways to compliance, each one designed to sharpen how you think, speak, and sell.

EXPLORE OUR SERVICE SUITE

The strategist brands call when ‘good enough’ isn’t good enough

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I’m Liv Steigrad. Behavioural strategist, brand consultant, and founder of The Identity Dept.

I’ve been helping founders, teams, and scaling brands align how they sound with how they sell since 2018. My work is grounded in psychology (an actual degree in it) so every word has a reason, and every strategy earns its keep.

I have experience across industries and I’ve refined a process that works. Because regardless of industry, from finance and tech to creative studios and consumer goods, I understand the consumer psychology at play and I know how to translate that into messaging that converts.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MANDATES
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    Case File #251 - Messaging system required for high-functioning founder

    Subject transitioned from conceptual chaos to investor-ready clarity in seven days.

    READ THE CASE FILE

  • Founding Protocol Case File #005 - Language, structure, and relief for Mihaela

    It’s process of remembering who you are, who you serve, and how to communicate that without second guessing yourself into oblivion.

    READ THE CASE FILE

  • Founding Protocol Case File #007 - Radical Clarity for Margaux

    If you think you're clear on your vision now, you don't know how clear you can actually get through The Protocol.

    READ THE CASE FILE

The Dept Dispatch

This is where you get to sneak into The Dept after hours and rifle through the drawers.

The podcast, the articles, the deep dives, all built to make you think sharper about brand, behaviour, and buying decisions.

READ:

Frameworks, field notes, and ideas that make your next move smarter.

SEE THE LATEST POSTS

LISTEN:

Raw, unfiltered interviews with business owners in the messy middle.

EXPLORE THE PODCAST

not ready to commit? Get the weekly memo.

Each week, one sharp insight on brand identity, messaging, and the psychology behind why some brands stick and others stall. From the desk of The Identity Dept.